Any info on height requirements/restrictions? What about motion issues? We are going to WDW in August with another family and thought we might take a day for this, but if the kids will not make the height, or if it is too scary (confined by a harness, or something) we might not want to mention this. They are 10, 8 and 7 (and a baby that I am sure can't go of course...). They are over 48" (but not 52" for at least one of them). Looks like a motion sick inducing thing for me though (iMax gives me issues), so DH would have to take them.

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I was told by a Universal rep to not book the original May 28 package b/c I'm a passholder. So, I just booked a regular room off-site since I was going down that weekend anyway. Now I'm a little upset that I might not get to see the HP stuff and that's the only weekend I can get down there for quite awhile. I hope they do some soft openings or something or people are going to be mad that weekend.

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Yes, a lot of passholders will be ticked if this is the case. I can't see them turning away their passholders over people who just bought a one time package.

Any info on height requirements/restrictions? What about motion issues? We are going to WDW in August with another family and thought we might take a day for this, but if the kids will not make the height, or if it is too scary (confined by a harness, or something) we might not want to mention this. They are 10, 8 and 7 (and a baby that I am sure can't go of course...). They are over 48" (but not 52" for at least one of them). Looks like a motion sick inducing thing for me though (iMax gives me issues), so DH would have to take them.

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About the only things we know about the Forbidden Journey is it's a 48" height requirement and the whole attaction will take about an hour...queue and all. Hopefully more details will be released but I think Universal is trying to keep that under wraps until opening.

I still can't picture what the Forbidden Journey ride will be. A motion-robotic ride similar to Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom or will it be a roller coaster with a robotic arm swinging you up and down inside a big video dome? What darn ride technology are we talking about here!! <LOL! Any pictures or actual videos of the ride itself and not just of exaggerated descriptions?

I'm not a big Harry Potter fan but I want to know all about the actual ride and not just its themes. Any "real" details announced yet?

I still can't picture what the Forbidden Journey ride will be. A motion-robotic ride similar to Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom or will it be a roller coaster with a robotic arm swinging you up and down inside a big video dome? What darn ride technology are we talking about here!! <LOL! Any pictures or actual videos of the ride itself and not just of exaggerated descriptions?

I'm not a big Harry Potter fan but I want to know all about the actual ride and not just its themes. Any "real" details announced yet?

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This is what Universal says:

The Innovation

This is more than just an attraction and it is unlike any theme park experience ever created. It's a revolutionary, 360-degree theme park experience and first-ever combination of live-action, advanced robotic technology and innovative filmmaking - specially designed and developed for this brand-new adventure.

"We have created an entirely new way to place our guests into the heart of one of the most compelling stories of our time," said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. "What we have done will forever change the theme park attraction experience."

The attraction's newly created ride system envelops guests in filmed action scenes and moves those scenes with them as they travel through the ride, allowing more time in the center of the adventure and with their favorite characters. This fusion of robotic technology and filmed scenes has never been achieved until now. In some cases, technology had to be invented to achieve the highest level of guest experience. The combination of pioneering, state-of-the-art technology, innovative filmmaking and surprises around every corner make this attraction the embodiment of the Harry Potter book and film series-and the future of theme park entertainment.

So we know there will be a Kuka robot arm, similar to the one at Epcot right now in the new Sum of All Thrills attraction, but bigger...there will be domed screens, but those are not going to be the only thing on the ride, there will, I believe, be plenty of real scenes, including some very large things.

The link above gives a little more detail into what the Forbidden Journey will be about. It gives the same YouTube video on the scenes the actors are filming for the ride, but talks about how this is possibly an hour long ride from start to finish as it begins when you first enter Hogwarts.

The link above gives a little more detail into what the Forbidden Journey will be about. It gives the same YouTube video on the scenes the actors are filming for the ride, but talks about how this is possibly an hour long ride from start to finish as it begins when you first enter Hogwarts.

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The ride isn't an hour long, the experience from entering to the end is an hour long...including walking through a massive queue which people can visit without going on the ride.

I just got off the phone with universal after a 1/2 hour (transfer-to-department-to-department nightmare). I had reservations for June 10th (received a pin from Universal) and was told initially that the park would not be open to the general public at that time. So after being transferred to 3 different departments I came away with the information that without purchasing a package that I would not be able to get into the park. She then told me that unless I had a package for June 18th and beyond I was not guaranteed entry;I was extremely frustrated and canceled the reservation. I've never been to Universal before we are true Disney fans and this was a horrible introduction to Universal and I had yet to set foot on the property. I spoke with a supervisor and she told me that they were honoring the packages sold for during the May 28th ad but that no others would be allowed in until the June 18th date. She did let me know that after June 18th everyone will be let in and that you do not have to purchase a package to do so. I was able to breath a little easier at that time (I was dreading telling my 10ds who is a Harry Potter fanatic that we were not going) and she was able to make reservations for me at a later date honoring my original pin.

The ride isn't an hour long, the experience from entering to the end is an hour long...including walking through a massive queue which people can visit without going on the ride.

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Sorry, I should have been a little clearer. I didn't mean the actual ride itself, when I mentioned "ride" I meant it as a whole, including the experience going through hogwarts, etc. I apologize for any confusion.

The link above gives a little more detail into what the Forbidden Journey will be about. It gives the same YouTube video on the scenes the actors are filming for the ride, but talks about how this is possibly an hour long ride from start to finish as it begins when you first enter Hogwarts.

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This won't affect our trip, specifically, but might affect some of yours. Just an observation I have made regarding early park entry hours and Express at WWoHP.

When I pull up my current reservation for a single night at HRH, the details on early park admission are as follows:

Early Park Admission to Islands of Adventure

Traveling now  6/17/10:

Receive Early Park admission* to Universal's Islands of Adventure. The theme park will open thirty (30) minutes early each day so you can enjoy The Amazing Adventure of Spider-man® and The Incredible Hulk Coaster® before the rest of the general public!

Traveling 6/18  12/31/10:

Enjoy Early Park Admission one (1) hour prior to Universals Islands of Adventure regular scheduled park opening. Offer valid 7 days a week for travel; valid at Harry Potter and the Forbidden JourneyTM, Flight of the HippogriffTM, Dragon ChallengeTM and The Cat in the HatTM.

*Requires theme park admission. Offer valid 7 days a week for travel from 1/1/10 to 12/31/10. Only valid for Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations guests who purchase a complete vacation including hotel and theme park tickets. If technical problems arise or the opening of an attraction is delayed another Universals Islands of Adventure attraction will open for Early Park Admission. Offer subject to change at anytime without notice.

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Note that at the time I booked the stay, the dates were "now -5/27/10" and "5/28 -12/31/10". So this has been changed (as they warn above, "without notice.")

As for Universal Express Ride Access, all it says is "Some attractions excluded." Based on the information in the link above, "The queue will be part of the attraction (and so, no Universal Express access, at least initially) and begin the dungeons of the castle. "

So it looks like you won't be able to Express this ride (and maybe you wouldn't want to, since so much of the attraction appears to be in the queue).

My point is, people who might have booked a stay at one of the Universal on-site hotels without the package, may not be allowed to ride the Forbidden Journey if their stay is between 5/28 and 6/17, although they thought they could when they booked their trip.

Since Universal apparently says that they will honor the packages for the dates 5/28 and after, I would hope that they would also honor the early entry privilege for on-site guests (as originally marketed) as well.

Question for anybody that has booked the package for 1 night. When I search for a one night package check in 12/6-12/7 is says my breakfast and early entry is on 12/6..we are flying in that day, is it an option to change it to 12/7....I would call ressie line but I am sure they are very busy today